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Michał Szkoła
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6221-6876 Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakowszkolamichal@interia.pl DOI: 10.35765/pk.2019.2704.07
Silesian Theological Seminary
and Częstochowa Theological
Seminary in Krakow—
the Heritage of the Interwar Period.
A Study of the History
of Organization Management
A B S T RAC TAfter Poland regained its independence in 1918, the Polish Roman Catholic Church needed to be reunited, so that thoroughly educated priests could be deployed to work in the newly established dioceses. The system of teaching had to be reorganized and this issue was fi-nally regulated by the 1925 Concordat which guaranteed the possi-bility of creating a seminary in each diocese. A special situation took place in Krakow, where in the 1920s, in addition to the existing dioc-esan semi nary, the Częstochowa Seminary and the Silesian Seminary were located. The article outlines the circumstances in which the seats of these institutions were established outside home dioceses and draws attention to the cultural context of the events of that time, whose mate-rial reflection remains as the two modernist buildings preserved in the center of Krakow.
K E Y W O R D S : Silesian Theological Seminary, Częstochowa Theological Seminary, Krakow modernism
Suggested citation: Szkoła, M. (2019). Silesian Theological Seminary and Częstochowa
Theolo-gical Seminary in Krakow—the Heritage of the Interwar Period. A Study of the History of Orga-nization Management. Perspektywy Kultury, 4(27), pp. 91‑106.
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S T R E S Z C Z E N I E
Śląskie Seminarium Duchowne i Częstochowskie Seminarium Du chowne w Krakowie – dziedzictwo dwudziestolecia między-wojennego. Studium z dziejów zarządzania organizacją
Po odzyskaniu przez Polskę niepodległości w 1918 r. Kościół katolic‑ ki wymagał zespolenia, a w nowo powołanych diecezjach mieli pra-cować gruntownie wykształceni duchowni. Reorganizacji wymagał system nauczania, kwestia ta została ostatecznie uregulowana przez konkordat z 1925 r. gwarantujący możliwość utworzenia seminarium duchownego w każdej diecezji. Kraków znajdował się w szczególnej sytuacji, ponieważ w latach 20. XX w. obok istniejącego seminarium diecezjalnego założono tu dodatkowo Częstochowskie Seminarium Duchowne oraz Seminarium Śląskie. Artykuł nakreśla okoliczności powstania siedzib tych instytucji poza macierzystymi diecezjami oraz zwraca uwagę na kulturowy kontekst ówczesnych wydarzeń, których materialnym odbiciem są dziś dwa modernistyczne gmachy zachowa-ne w centrum Krakowa.
S Ł O WA K LU C Z E : Śląskie Seminarium Duchowne, Częstochowskie Seminarium Duchowne, modernizm krakowski
One of the foundations of local and national identity is cultural heritage, which is a special formula used for describing the past. In the light of social studies published in 2017, 90% of Poles recognize heritage as an important source of knowledge, 1 and for almost 92% of us it has value as a testimony
to our history, which we should pass on to future generations. 2 An
impor-tant element of the material heritage resources are works of architecture and urban planning, in which political, social and cultural changes are re-flected. By discovering architectural monuments we discover the identity of the place, which is influenced by the past. However, it is worth noting that this identity will remain under the influence of the past as long as we make a choice in favor of memory and not oblivion. 3 According to
1 Dziedzictwo kulturowe w badaniach. Vol. 1: Polacy wobec dziedzictwa. Raport z badań
społecz-nych, eds. A. Chabiera, A. Dąbrowski, A. Fortuna‑Marek, A. Kozioł, M. Lubaś, P. Nowak, B. Skaldawski, K. Stępnik, Warszawa–Kraków 2017, p. 30.
2 Ibidem, p. 32.
3 J. Królikowski, Genius Loci jako źródło tożsamości miasta, “Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Po-znańskiej. Architektura i Urbanistyka,” Vol. 24 (2011), p. 6.
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the definition of Ewa Glińska, the city’s identity is “a set of historically conditioned characteristics of the city that distinguish it from others and expressed by all actions that are taken in the city to create its specific per-sonality and character.” 4 However, as Jeremi T. Królikowski notes, “the
awareness of the uniqueness of a place is deepened by learning about its tradition, through memory, and contains the visions of the future discov-ery of its potential.” 5
Only distinctive places and objects, as well as the related history, usually remain in the collective memory. In the case of Krakow, one of the most symbolic cities in Poland, the landmarks are mainly Wawel, the Cloth Hall, the Main Market Square and St. Mary’s Church. 6 Other
monuments of the city remain in their shadow, especially those created only during the previous century. In this context, it is worth recalling the gene sis of the construction in Krakow in the 1920s, of the buildings of the Częstochowa Theological Seminary at 3 Bernardyńska street and the Sile-sian Seminary at al. A. Mickiewicza 3, which, under canon law, should be conducted within individual dioceses. Although today the buildings no longer house the original diocesan institutions, while retaining their his-torical name, they remain a proof of cultural and religious rank, and above all they testify to the complex situation of the Polish state and the Church after regaining independence in 1918.
Although Kraków has lost its political significance over the centuries, the city located near Wawel was referred to as the spiritual capital of Poles during the partitions. During the period of national captivity, the city full of symbols and memorabilia was an important center of patriotic and in-dependence thought. In addition, in the era of Galician autonomy, rela-tively favorable conditions appeared for cultivating language, tradition and faith. Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, after visiting Wawel in 1871, wrote in “Ty-godnik Polityczny, Naukowy, Literacki i Artystyczny” that “Krakow has not changed its old face, a reliquary on the breasts of Poland.” 7 Whereas
in 1889 Stefan Żeromski mentioned in Dzienniki:
I began to roam around the city, to feel this Polish atmosphere, from stones, from houses, from towers blowing with antiquity and for an hour 4 E. Glińska, Socjologiczna i marketingowa koncepcja tożsamości miasta, in: Obywatelstwo
i toż-samość w społeczeństwach zróżnicowanych kulturowo i na pograniczach, Vol. 1, Białystok 2006, p. 34.
5 J. Królikowski, Genius Loci, op. cit., p. 6.
6 J. Kwolek, R. Szmytkie, Symbole dużych miast w opinii studentów, in: Percepcja współczesnej
przestrzeni miejskiej, ed. M. Madurowicz, Warszawa 2007, p. 250. 7 “Tygodnik Polityczny, Naukowy, Literacki i Artystyczny,” 1871, Iss. 14.
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I rejected all other thoughts, except the pleasures of breathing this city of the spirit, this “center of Polishness.” 8
The city was also associated with Christian culture, and because of the number of churches and monasteries and the presence of church colleg-es, it was called Altera Roma. Religious life at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was influenced by diocesan clergy formed at the Theologi-cal Seminary and the Faculty of Theology of the Jagiellonian University. 9
Owing to the efforts of bishop Adam Stefan Sapieha, who had ruled the diocese since March 1912 and showed great concern for the proper forma-tion of the diocesan clergy under his responsibility, Krakow was strength-ening its position as a scientific and didactic center for theological studies. All this meant that at that time Poles from other partitions, pilgriming to the former capital in search of sources of Polishness, willingly main-tained contacts with the city. Some of the Silesians living in the spirit of Polishness were also visiting Krakow, though not without difficulties. They were attracted to the city by the religious and patriotic symbolism of the Pauline monastery on Skałka, 10 Wawel, the Kościuszko and Wanda
Mound, the Cloth Hall and museums. The connection with Krakow so established in the second half of the 19th century served to strengthen the religious, cultural and nationa lity, and at the same time contributed to the deepening of the relationship between patriotic feelings and Catholi-cism. 11 A new card in these relations was opened when independence was
regained.
After 123 years of captivity, the institutional Church, as well as the govern ment spheres, noticed the need to join the areas previously belong-ing to various partitions. It was necessary to reorganize the Church ad-ministration and adapt the diocese’s boundaries to national borders, and to revive religious life owing to clerics educated in theological studies.
8 S. Żeromski, Dzienniki, Vol. 6, Warszawa 1966, p. 188.
9 From 1 September 1895, at the initiative of Bishop Jan Puzyna, so‑called Small Seminary of the Diocese of Krakow, founded on the model functioning in L’viv since 1840. About 30 boys from poor families were admitted to the convent, who attended St. Anne Junior High School (named after Nowodworski). According to the assumption, some young people continued their educa-tion at the Major Seminary at 8 Podzamcze str., with its neo‑Gothic brick building erected in 1899‑1902 according to the design of Gabriel Niewiadomski, and then expanded until 1927, see: J. Urban, Diecezja krakowska w XIX wieku, in: Kościół krakowski w tysiącleciu, Kraków 2000, p. 383.
10 J. Wycisło, Motywacje narodowych pielgrzymek Górnoślązaków do Krakowa na przełomie XIX/
XX wieku. Przeciwdziałania pruskiej policji, in: Kościół krakowski w życiu państwa i narodu
pol-skiego, ed. A. Pankowicz, Kraków 2002, pp. 155‑173. 11 Ibidem.
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Pursuant to the constitution of 17 March 1921, “the Roman Catholic Church has its own laws,” and detailed regulations were to be set out in the concordat. 12 The agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of
Poland was concluded on 10 February 1925, 13 ordering e.g. the formation
of priests in dioceses. Article IX of the concordat stated that the hie rarchy in the Latin rite would be organized within five Church provinces— Gniezno and Poznań, Warsaw, Vilnius, L’viv and Krakow. 14 Whereas
Arti-cle XIII item 2 guaranteed that “in all dioceses the Catholic Church would have a seminary, according to canon law, which it would direct and ap-point teachers …” The Holy See was obliged to establish and demarcate Church provinces and dioceses within three months of the entry into force of the concordat. Accordingly, on 28 October 1925, Pope Pius IX issued the bull Vixdum Poloniae unitas, which was based on the project of re-organizing the Church presented by bishops Henryk Przeździecki and Romuald Jałbrzykowski, approved by the Polish Episcopal conference in July 1924 in Częstochowa. 15 The papal document raised the diocese of
Krakow to the rank of a metropolis, headed by prince Adam Stefan Sapie-ha, Metro politan Archbishop of Krakow, while the archbishopric included the dioceses of Tarnów and Kielce as well as the newly created dioceses of Częstochowa and Silesia (Katowice). 16
However, before the expansion of the diocesan education system could be discussed, the struggle for Upper Silesia to belong to Poland and par-allel efforts to establish the Silesian diocese, independent of the jurisdic-tion of the diocese of Wrocław, had to be ended in 1919‑1921. The symbol-ic connection of the Silesian land with the Republsymbol-ic of Poland took place on 16 July 1922 during a ceremony in the Kościuszko Park in Katowice 17
12 Constitution of the Republic of Poland—Act of 17 March 1921 (Journal of Laws of 1921 No. 44 item 267).
13 The document was signed on behalf of the President of the Republic of Poland by Władysław Skrzyński—Polish ambassador to the Holy See and Stanisław Grabski—MP and former Mini-ster of Religious Denominations and Public Enlightenment and by the plenipotentiary of the Pope, Cardinal Pietro Gasparri—Secretary of State. The treaty, then ratified by the Sejm, ente-red into force on 2 August 1925.
14 Concordat between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland, signed in Rome on 10 February 1925 (Journal of Laws of 1925 No. 72, item 501)
15 J. Związek, Z dziejów Częstochowskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Krakowie (1926-1991), “Veritati et Caritati,” No. 6 (2016), p. 351.
16 S. Piech, Odnowiona diecezja krakowska w obliczu „znaków czasu” 1879-1978, in: Kościół
krakowski w życiu państwa i narodu polskiego, ed. A. Pankowicz, Kraków 2002, pp. 138‑139; S. Piech, W cieniu kościołów i synagog. Życie religijne międzywojennego Krakowa 1918-1939, Kraków 1999, p. 31.
17 The union with Poland was commemorated by the Act of Acquisition of Upper Silesia signed by representatives of the Government and the Sejm, the Ministry of Military Affairs, members
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and was preceded by the conclusion of the German-Polish Convention on
Upper Silesia, signed in Geneva on 15 May 1922, 18 regulating the rights of
the Polish and German population in the disputed area. Section III of the act contains regulations on religious matters, and the date of 1 July 1923 was indicated as the deadline for adapting the organizational structures of individual denominations to the newly set state borders. 19 In fact, the
Wrocław bishop Adolf Bertram already in 1919 was afraid of the necessi-ty of excluding part of Upper Silesia from his power. 20 A sign of changes
was the appointment of Fr. Jan Kapica on 21 October 1921, the day after the decision of the Council of Ambassadors on the division of the plebi-scite area, as the Prince‑Episcopal Delegate with the rights of vicar gene‑ ral, whose task was to supervise the Polish part of the diocese. 21 This fact
inspired Polish activists to work hard for the creation of a separate diocese and a seminary independent of the bishop of Wrocław. Polish aspirations in this area were met with the bishop’s reserve, and the thesis of Fr. Michał Lewek, head of the Department of Religious Denominations and the reso-lutions of the Supreme People’s Council adopted as a temporary body of authority received a lot of attention in February and March 1922. At that time, the Delegate was called to support efforts to create a separate dio-cese and to deploy Polish clerics from Wrocław in the Krakow seminary, as well as in Poznań and L’viv. 22 It was also postulated to build a seminary
for 80 clerics, professors, rector, priest and prefect. 23 This speech was met
with the disapproval of bishop Bertram, who decided that clerics should remain in Wrocław, and admitted studies in Krakow or Poznan in excep-tional cases. 24 The situation was complicated by the fact that several clerics
who had previously studied theology in Wrocław already in autumn 1921 started the studies at the Faculty of Theology of the Jagiellonian Universi-ty, where they had the status of students. At that time, the Alumni occupied an apartment rented from the Carmelite fathers in a tenement house at
of the Provisional Provincial Council in Silesia and official delegates from Poland and Silesia, see: J.J. Ludyga‑Laskowski, Wyzwolenie Śląska – i Górny Śląsk, in: Dziesięciolecie Polski
Odro-dzonej. Księga pamiątkowa 1918-1928, Kraków–Warszawa 1928, pp. 137‑138.
18 German-Polish Convention concerning Upper Silesia, signed in Geneva on 15 May 1922 (Journal of Laws of 1922, No. 44, item 371).
19 Ibidem.
20 F. Maroń, Historia Diecezji Katowickiej. Sytuacja Górnego Śląska po pierwszej wojnie światowej, “Nasza Przeszłość,” Vol. 44 (1975), p. 11.
21 J. Myszor, Historia Diecezji Katowickiej, Katowice 1999, pp. 16‑17.
22 F. Maroń, Historia Diecezji Katowickiej. Sytuacja Górnego Śląska, op. cit., p. 391. 23 Ibidem, p. 21.
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13 Garbarska street and on this door the chalk inscription “Silesian Theo-logical Seminary” appeared for the first time. 25
The regulation of the issue of teaching the future clergy was prioritized by Fr. August Hlond, later bishop ordinary of the Katowice diocese. On 7 November 1922, he was appointed the Apostolic Administrator of Polish Silesia by the Holy Father, 26 which was a temporary form before the
cre-ation of the new diocese. After the ingress, Fr. Hlond gave an interview to the Oberschlesische Grenzzeitung, in which he openly announced the in-dependence of the seminary from Wrocław. 27 A year later, 33 theologians
studied in Krakow, 28 and the first Fr. who graduated here during the
Ad-ministration was Józef Brzenska, who was ordained a priest on 14 Septem-ber 1924 by the bishop‑suffragan Anatol Nowak. 29 Owing to the efforts of
Fr. Hlond and Fr. Wawrzyniec Pucher the favor of the father of general Włodzimierz Ledóchowski SJ, clerics began the academic year 1923/24 at ul. Kopernika, in the premises shared for the needs of the Silesian Semi-nary by the Jesuit College. 30 Initially, the alumni of the emerging
semi-nary were taken care by Fr. Pucher, while the first rector was Fr. Władysław Lohn SJ. According to Fr. Stanisław Kosiński,
this makeshift seminary lasting several years educated a number of promi-nent priests who did not bring shame or disappointment to their ordinary and diocese, because they really graduated as valuable priests. 31
Their moral, intellectual and national attitude was shaped thanks to the proximity of the Jesuits, an excellent group of University professors, but also, as Fr. Hlond reminded, owing to the possibility of education “in the
25 F. Żebrok, Dzieje Śląskiego Seminarium Duchownego, “Nasza Przeszłość,” 44 (1975), p. 90; M. Kłakus, Geneza i rozwój Śląskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Krakowie, in: Wyższe
Ślą-skie Seminarium Duchowne 1924-2004, ed. J. Kupny, Katowice 2004, pp. 16‑18; J. Kiedos, H. Olszar, Losy Gmachu Wyższego Śląskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Katowicach, “Śląskie Studia Historyczno‑Teologiczne,” XV (1982), p. 57.
26 S. Kosiński, August Hlond na Śląsku: W 60. rocznicę erygowania diecezji katowickiej, “Śląskie Studia Historyczno‑Teologiczne,” 18 (1985), pp. 7‑25; S. Książek, Granice o podział diecezji
wrocławskiej na komisariaty i dekanaty w latach 1914-1945, “Prawo Kanoniczne: kwartalnik prawno‑historyczny,” 19 (1976), No. 3‑4, pp. 128‑129.
27 F. Maroń, Historia Diecezji Katowickiej. Sytuacja Górnego Śląska, op. cit., p. 29.
28 Ibidem, p. 33; Michał Kłakus gives the number of 26 alumni, see: M. Kłakus, Geneza i rozwój
Śląskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Krakowie, op. cit., p. 22.
29 F. Maroń, Historia Diecezji Katowickiej. Sytuacja Górnego Śląska, op. cit., p. 35.
30 S. Kosiński, August Hlond na Śląsku, op. cit., p. 13; M. Kłakus, Geneza i rozwój Śląskiego
Semi-narium Duchownego w Krakowie, op. cit., p. 21. 31 S. Kosiński, August Hlond, op. cit., p. 14.
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heart of Poland.” 32 It is worth noting that the choice of Krakow for the
place of theological studies was caused by the complicated situation of the Catholic Church in the Upper Silesia directed by German bishops of Wrocław and what is also important it aimed at polonizing priests work-ing in the future Katowice diocese.
At that time, the location of the Silesian Theological Seminary was still not a foregone conclusion. Admittedly, since July 1924 talks have been held with the Krakow authorities regarding the acquisition of land for investment, however already in December the prefect of the Congrega-tion of Seminars and Universities, Cardinal Gaetan Bisleti, recommended the construction of a seminar in Katowice or the placement of students at the Catholic University of Lublin. 33 Initially, Fr. Hlond intended to carry
out this order, but ultimately, among others due to the appropriate aca-demic facilities, the option of building a seminary in Krakow was chosen. A plot at al. A. Mickiewicza 3 was acquired from the City Council and the agreement finalized in February 1927 assumed a long‑term lease of land, which the diocesan authorities bought in 1933 for 260 000 zlotys. 34 The
location should be considered prestigious, because the green boulevard formed at that time—Aleje Trzech Wieszczów, was to focus the metropoli‑ tan functions of the city. 35 Construction began on 1 September, while on
28 November, Metropolitan Fr. Sapieha blessed the cornerstone. It is worth noting that the ceremony was attended by, among others, bishop Teodor Kubina, head of the newly created diocese of Częstochowa since 1926, who initially assumed that seminarians of the diocese of Częstochowa could also be able to live in the building, which, however, it did not occur due to differences in the preparation of clerics for pastoral work in both dio ceses with different dioceses traditions. 36
During the construction of the seminary, the Curia of Katowice was represented by the building architect Franciszek Rozkoszny, while the author of the project was the renowned Krakow architect Zygmunt Gawlik in cooperation with Franciszek Mączyński, with whom he also worked on the construction of the cathedral in Katowice. Their design combines diverse inspirations in a manner characteristic of the Krakow architectural environment at the time, becoming a valuable example of
32 Ibidem.
33 J. Myszor, Historia Diecezji Katowickiej, op. cit., p. 119.
34 F. Żebrok, Dzieje Śląskiego Seminarium Duchownego, op. cit., p. 95.
35 B. Zbroja, Monumentalne i eleganckie – Aleje Trzech Wieszczów, in: Modernizmy. Architektura
nowoczesności w II Rzeczpospolitej. Vol. 1. Kraków i województwo krakowskie, ed. A. Szczerski, Kraków 2013, pp. 119‑163.
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the creative search of the so‑called “Krakow school.” 37 The
monumen-tal, three‑wing, symmetrical building covered with a flat roof had a typi-cal expression of modernism, with classicist‑like elements. References to tradition are the frieze and prominent eaves, as well as window frames and the prominent, semi‑circular closed portal. The latter was decorated with floral ornament, and above it there was a bas‑relief with the image of St. Hyacinth, patron of the Silesian diocese. Attention is drawn to the lateral, higher wings crowned with carvings of four evangelists designed by the outstanding sculptor Xawery Dunikowski. The modern building had functional interiors. A chapel was placed in the north wing on the 4th floor, and a refectory on the ground floor (Photo 1).
Regardless of the finishing works in progress, in October 1927 the new headquarters of the seminary was ready for the alumni who after four years left the difficult housing conditions at the Jesuit Fathers. 38 The building
was consecrated on 28 November 1929 in the presence of Archbishop Sa-pieha, Bishop of Katowice Arkadiusz Lisiecki, Bishop Teodor Kubina, Bishop Stanisław Rospond and representatives of the city and university authorities. 39 The total cost of building the seminar amounted to nearly
1,637,000 zlotys and was financed by a loan granted by the Silesian Seym, gifts, subsidies and generosity of the inhabitants of Upper Silesia. 40
The building has retained its original form until today, although in 1937 the expansion of the east wing was considered. The structure of the building was preserved without major changes also during the World War II. Admittedly, the occupation authorities requisitioned the seminary for the needs of the Main Directorate of the German Police, and a cinema room was arranged in the chapel and Dunikowski’s sculptures on the facade were bricked up, but no further extension was not carried out. The building was seriously damaged by fire on 19 January 1945, as a result of arson, which forced the renovation after WWII.
The conditions for establishing the seminary of the diocese of Częstochowa were definitely less complex, although the process of estab-lishing the facility was not obstacle‑free. Due to the role of Jasna Góra in the religious life of Poles, after regaining independence, the need to create a new diocese was indisputable. The Bishop of Włocławek, Stanisław
37 M. Wiśniewski, Architektura użyteczności publicznej, op. cit., pp. 31‑32. According to the archi-tectural project preserved in The National Archives in Krakow, Department V – Cartographic materials and technical documentation, architects introduced changes in the initial design, see: ANK ABM, f310, al. Mickiewicza 3/Humberta 4/6.
38 Ibidem, pp. 146‑150.
39 M. Kłakus, Geneza i rozwój Śląskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Krakowie, op. cit., pp. 33. 40 A Palion, Seminarium to też budynek, op. cit., pp. 142‑143.
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Zdzi towiecki, to whose diocese Częstochowa belonged, already in No-vember 1918 established a General Vicariate and a local officiality. 41 When
the diocese of Częstochowa was established in 1925, the above‑mentioned Fr. Kubina, a national activist well known in Upper Silesia, became its bishop. In the first pastoral letter, the bishop among the most urgent tasks pointed out the need to increase the number of clerics, while appealing to the young men to consider priesthood and theological studies at the Uni-versity of Krakow. 42 The bishop’s words were justified by the fact that the
diocese was created from the peripheral areas of the Kielce and Włocławek dioceses, covering 174 parishes and about 877,000 faithful of diverse social and cultural character. 43 The parishes covered vast areas and an excessive
population, and 15 of them numbered over 10,000 of the faithful. 44
Unfor-tunately, the extension of pastoral activity was impossible due to the lack of a sufficient number of priests. 45 The situation was to change owing to the
clergy educated at the diocesan seminary, and not as previously educated as part of the seminarium domsesticum unrelated to the theological faculty. The integration of the Częstochowa region required the introduction of a uniform type of religiosity by priests cooperating in a common spiritual-ity, so the need to create their own unit was very urgent for the diocese. Bishop Kubina, who was thoroughly educated, was convinced that the diocesan seminary was not able to lead the future Fr. to the heights of knowledge that the Faculty of Theology of the Jagiellonian University opens to the students. 46 Therefore, he was supporting the establishment of
a new facility in Krakow. He justified his position by the lack of a proper premises in Częstochowa, as well as difficulties in providing adequate teaching facilities. The possible necessity of involving the diocesan clergy in conducting the seminary would mean an additional limitation of pas-toral ministry. Finally, despite the serious doubts of the Diocesan Con-sultors, having the favor of the Metropolitan and university authorities, the bishop on 1 October 1926 erected the Częstochowa Theological Semi-nary in Krakow. 47 He supported his position by saying that Krakow with
41 J. Związek, Integracyjna rola Kościoła katolickiego na Ziemi Częstochowskiej, in: Błogosławione
choć trudne czasy, ed. J. Kowalski, Częstochowa 2000, p. 53.
42 T. Kubina, W podniosłych chwilach i doniosłych sprawach, Vol. 1, Częstochowa 1931, p. 6. 43 W. Wlaźlak, Rozwój sieci parafialnej i dekanalnej w diecezji częstochowskiej na przestrzeni jej
historii, in: Siedemdziesięciopięciolecie Kościoła częstochowskiego, ed. J. Kowalski, Częstochowa 2000, p. 161.
44 Ibidem. 45 Ibidem, p. 168.
46 T. Kubina, W podniosłych chwilach, op. cit., p. 170.
47 J. Kowalski, Charakterystyczne rysy Częstochowskiego Wyższego Seminarium Duchownego, in: Błogosławione choć trudne czasy, op. cit., p. 216.
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the royal castle and churches, graves of kings, saints and great Poles is a special place for Catholic and national culture. 48 It is worth
mention-ing that Fr. Kubina, previously as the Consultant of the Administration of Upper Silesia, was also in favor of placing the seminary in Krakow. The foundations of the new institution were created by the rector, ap-pointed by the bishop, Fr. Karol Makowski. In the first period, he su-pervised both the recruitment and education of clerics, and established contacts with the University as well as city authorities and clergy. 49 On
2 October 1926, 26 clerics began their studies at the university, initially finding hospitality in the modest conditions of the Bernardine Fathers’ monastery. 50 As in the initial period of the Silesian Seminary, the issue of
housing needs remained the basic problem of the new institution. The development of the seminar was conditioned by the construc-tion of its own facility, which in turn required social contribuconstruc-tions and high donations. Considering the economic crisis at the end of the 1920s, the impoverished society of the diocese was unable to bear the cost of the project itself. In this situation, Bishop Kubina received invaluable help in 1926 during his stay at the International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago, when, while visiting Polish parishes, he managed to gather nearly USD 20,000. 51 This was a very significant financial support, which allowed
to gather building materials and, above all, to buy for 50,000 zlotys on 14 Janu ary 1928 at Bernardyńska street, directly at the foot of the Wawel Hill. 52 Considering the fact that the cost of the construction and equipping
the building was to amount to over 1 million zlotys, the implementation of the investment would not have been possible without further support for the Polish diaspora, collections among the faithful and the sacrifice of the clergy themselves in the diocese, as well as loan. 53
The construction of the building began on 8 May 1928, 54 and the
rector was assisted at that time by Fr. Zygmunt Sędzimir, delegated for economic matters directly by the bishop. 55 The edifice of Częstochowa
Seminary was also built according to a design by Zygmunt Gawlik and
48 Ibidem. 49 Ibidem, p. 217.
50 J. Związek, Z dziejów Częstochowskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Krakowie, op. cit., p. 359. 51 J. Kowalski, Charakterystyczne rysy Częstochowskiego Wyższego Seminarium Duchownego, op. cit.,
p. 217. 52 Ibidem. 53 Ibidem.
54 J. Kowalski, Dzieje Częstochowskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Krakowie, op. cit., p. 159. 55 Ibidem, p. 217. Architectural project is preserved in The National Archives in Krakow,
De-partment V – Cartographic materials and technical documentation, see: ANK ABM, f31, ul. Bernardyńska 3.
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Franciszek Mączyński, and approved directly by Bishop Kubina and Fr. Makowski, which is confirmed with their signatures on the project. Also, in this case, the team designed a high‑class modernist building in the spirit of the “Krakow school.” The symmetrical façade, closed on the sides with avant‑corps, are characterized by simplifications typical of the Krakow architectural environment, and the attention is drawn to the Neo‑Roman portal with reduced decoration, corresponding to the plasti-cally developed plinth. An important element of the project are sculptural compositions of considerable size with the word on the axis of the build-ing and above the avant‑corps. 56 They refer to the symbolism of
evan-gelists and show the temptation of a cleric by the devil, as well as Christ blessing Poland symbolized by a woman. The whole, designed with great sensitivity, gives the impression of coherence and monumentalism, and the building fits well with the immediate surroundings of Wawel and the Baroque church and monastery of Bernardine Fathers ((Photo 2). Despite temporary difficulties caused by financial and executive issues, including bad soil conditions within the former branch of the Vistula river, the most important construction works were completed in 1929. Finishing works were carried out over the next year. Finally, on 6 October 1930, the first mass was celebrated in the chapel, including with the participation of Bishop Kubina and the Metropolitan of Krakow, who consecrated the building. 57
The seminary remained in the building until the beginning of Septem-ber 1939. At that time, the building was seized by the occupation authori-ties, and the seminary had to change its headquarters several times until the end of the war. After the liberation of Krakow in January 1945, the fire destroyed the chapel, which did not prevent the Soviet army from organiz-ing a hospital in the buildorganiz-ing. It was not until 14 April 1946 that the clerics returned to Bernardyńska street and the rector could take the trouble of renovation.
The establishment of the Silesian Theological Seminary and the Często chowa Theological Seminary in Krakow was possible owing to the favor of the University authorities and full support of Archbishop Sa-pieha, who played a central role in the development of provisions enabling the functioning of these entities near Wawel. 58 The merger of the diocese
of Krakow with students of the dioceses of Częstochowa and Silesia in the
56 M. Wiśniewski, Architektura użyteczności publicznej, op. cit., p. 34.
57 J. Związek, Z dziejów Częstochowskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Krakowie, op. cit., pp. 365‑366.
58 W.M. Bartel, Naukowy mecenat Adama Stefana Sapiehy, in: Księga Sapieżyńska, ed. J. Wolny, Kraków 1982, p. 223.
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intention of the Ordinary was to strengthen the center of theological stud-ies in Krakow so that it would become the strongest in Poland. As expect-ed, the creation of new seminaries meant a sharp increase in the number of students. While in the partition period the number of students of theology amounted from 40 to 100 people, in the academic year 1925/26 there were already 163, while in the years 1926‑1939 the number fluctuated between 288 and 391 people. 59 As a result, as Fr. Stanisław Piech mentioned, from
the end of the 19th century until World War II the Faculty of Theo logy was experiencing a renaissance, which can be compared to the golden period of the university in the fifteenth century, there was a breakthrough in the interwar period, and at the foot of Wawel we are dealing with the largest group of Catholic seminary students in Poland. 60
Nowadays, the buildings still have didactic functions, although they are no longer the seats of seminaries. Students of the Silesian Seminary are educated in Katowice from the academic year 1980/1981, and the building has since served the needs of the Jagiellonian University. Where-as, the Częstochowa Seminary was not moved from Krakow until 1991, after the construction of a new building in Częstochowa. The building at Bernardyńska street was the seat of the Major Seminary of the Diocese of Sosnowiec until 2013, and presently it is used by the Pontifical Universi-ty of John Paul II in Krakow. Over the years, well‑preserved buildings have acquired the status of a monument, permanently inscribing in the archi-tectural landscape of Krakow, as valuable examples of Krakow’s interwar modernism. The article is intended to remind only the circumstances of the creation of these special facilities on the city map and does not discuss the rich history of diocesan institutions. Nevertheless, this outline should lead us to remember that the facades of old seminaries not only present special architectural values, but also testify to the cultural role of Krakow and the complex history of the Second Republic of Poland.
59 Ibidem, p. 224. According to the data published by Fr. Stanisław Piech, the Faculty of Theolo‑ gy had as many as 397 students in 1933/34. Cf. S. Piech, Odnowiona diecezja krakowska, op. cit., p. 139.
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Photo 1. Silesian Theological Seminary in Krakow, A. Mickiewicza 3, 1929, NAC
3/1/0/15/693
(Source: https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/jednostka/‑/jednostka/5907782)
Photo 2. The Theological Seminary of the Diocese of Częstochowa at Bernardyńska 3,
1930, NAC 3/1/0/15/696
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Michał Szkoła—graduate of the Faculty of History of the Jagiellonian University and Postgraduate Studies in the Conservation of Archi-tecture and Urban Planning of the Cracow University of Technology, a long‑term employee of the local conservation services, a doctoral stu-dent at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow.
